Hi,
So I’m a college freshman planning to transfer. Currently my list of schools are:
-Columbia University
-Cornell University
-University of Pennsylvania
-Dartmouth College (maybe not sure yet)
-NYU
-Northeastern University
-Vanderbilt University
-Boston College
My most recent SAT score in high school was 1,450/1,600 (680 ERW, 770 Math) on the new sat.Should I retake my SAT 1 considering that I’m applying to very prestigious schools?
OR Should I take some SAT SUBJECT TESTS (MATH 2, maybe history)?
which is a better investment of my time and $ as a transfer student (SAT 1 retake vs SAT 2)?
Thank you!
You should definitely retake the SAT. Though, Since you’re on a time constraint, you should manage your time wisely.
You shouldn’t take any SAT Subject Tests if they’re not explicitly required. Devoting uneven amounts of time on two separate tests will only set you up for failure. Then again, it’s up to you.
Best of luck!
@TransferStalker Thanks for the reply. Right now, it is SOO confusing with the new sat and its conversion and stuff.
I looked at schools like Upenn and princeton’s class of 2021 profile and for some odd reason the averages for new SAT at both school were (based on the college board’s concordance table) MUCH LOWER than the average ACT or Old Sat scores. I remenber both UPENN and Princeton reported having around high 1300s to high 1500s for the new sat but for the act it was like 32-35 (which based on concordance would be like 1480-1560). That’s y i thought my score of 1450 would have been enough.
Do you think I should follow the class of 2021 profile averages (for the new sat) or try to match up with school’s act/old sat average (by getting a new sat score that when concorded would equal the “old tests averages”)?
My highest practice test score on the new sat was around 1500 so i dont think i need to study a whole lot. That’s y I’m also considering taking subject test to improve my score (only got 710 on Math 2)
It’s not entirely clear how admissions views transfer SAT’s. Since most colleges do not publish an average transfer SAT/ACT score, then it’s reasonable to assume they don’t calculate it. That would suggest that they look at how you stack up with their freshman averages as opposed to other transfer applicants. But as I said, it’s not entirely clear.
Take score ranges with a grain of salt. Just because UPenn’s score range is, for example, 1390-1560, does not mean a 1400 is acceptable. Look at the dead average of each school to get a better idea of what the average student gets accepted with.
And you should ALWAYS look at the newest averages. It’s most representative of what we’ll see come next fall, since averages don’t really change on a year to year basis.
It’s much more imperative to focus on the SAT than the Subject Tests. Most of the schools you listed don’t even require SAT Subject Tests (last I checked). It makes more sense to focus on what’s required of you.
@TransferStalker
Unfortunately, my semester was very busy so I didn’t have enough time to retake the SATs in october and november (I do have the dec SAT tho but that is near finals so not sure if it’s a good time). Do you think the 1450 SAT will be very problematic that I will get rejected from all the schools I want to go to?
Thanks for the help!
For the Ivies it may be a problem. Keep in mind, that across all institutions you’re applying to, your SAT scores will be considered. Look up average freshman SAT scores. If you feel as if the averages are a bit high, you should apply more broadly.